114 BRITISH BIRDS. 



selection of more secure sites is a habit recently acquired, in conse- 

 quence of the persecution of modern ornithologists. The following is a 

 condensed account from the notes made on the spot by Harvie-Brown of 

 the taking of a nest of the Rough-legged Buzzard Eagle at Valdersdal : 

 The nest was first visited on the 15th of June. The ' Fjeld Orus ' rock 

 was reached after a walk of about ten miles over deep snow-drifts. Early 

 in the day the walking was easy over the frozen snow ; but later on pro- 

 gress became more difficult, some of the party occasionally sinking up to 

 their hips in snow. The ice had not yet left the lakes on the high fjelds ; 

 and the appearance of five reindeer did not make the scene less winterly. 

 Arrived at the rock, the male bird was seen sitting on a boulder at 

 the top, and the female soon left the nest. Harvie-Brown fired at the 

 male but missed him, and climbed up to within twelve feet of the nest. 

 Whilst he was descending the female flew on again. The party then made 

 a detour to reach the top of the nest, and one of them was lowered down 

 with a rope, which proved too short. The female remained sitting; big 

 stones were rolled down, crashing past the nest within a few feet of it, 

 but she would not move. For two hours all attempts to dislodge her 

 proved in vain, although two shots were fired, one bullet passing through 

 the edge of the nest. All this time the male kept flying round at a great 

 distance. On the following day the party returned to the nest with a 

 longer rope, seeing the reindeer again en route. This time the female 

 flew off at once ; and Harvie-Brown shot her whilst his collector, Lars 

 Eraker, was attempting to reach the nest. In this he was unsuccessful. 

 Six days afterwards they visited the nest with Peder Hongen, a more 

 active collector. The snow was still perfectly crisp, and it was easy to walk 

 on the high fjelds. Peder simply took the rope in his hand, and literally ran 

 down the steep slope till he disappeared from sight. To the astonishment 

 of all, off came a second female from the nest, the male bird having 

 secured another partner since the previous visit ; and both birds were seen 

 to get clear away. Ten minutes after Peder' s head had disappeared over 

 the edge of the rock, a shout from below announced that he had secured 

 the eggs ; and soon he was descried 300 feet below, at the base of 

 the hill. The nest was a large structure formed of juniper-branches, 

 and contained three well-marked eggs considerably incubated. The 

 number of eggs varies from two to five. The nest is generally large, 

 composed of branches of dwarf birch or juniper, and lined with thin 

 wiry grass ; but occasionally it is a mere hollow lined with grass and 

 without any sticks. 



At Quickiock, Wheelwright describes the nest as often being placed on a 

 fell-ridge and often in a tree ; and at Muonioniska, Wolley and his col- 

 lectors found them only on Scotch firs, some being taken as early as the 

 middle of May. This difference in the habits of the bird is no doubt 



